Vegan vs. Keto vs. Paleo – What’s the Difference?

Vegan vs. Keto vs. Paleo – we hear these terms a lot lately. It’s no wonder, since there are so many diets to choose from these days (some of which are based on science and common sense). As our generation becomes more ‘woke’ and better understands that healthy eating should be a lifestyle change, many different tribes have emerged and people have chosen sides.

Between Instagram models pushing their vegan-gluten-free-low-carb mermaid toasts on to our feeds, and Facebook shoving superfood-paleo-whole30 compliant coconut fat bombs on us, the lines between these diets are getting blurrier by the day. Vegan-Keto? Vegan-Paleo? Are there such things?

Which is why this handy guide should help you compare and contrast some of these lifestyle diets, and can also help you chose one that best fits your needs (Bonus: Whole30 and Gluten-Free have been added to the mix as well).

Overview

Vegan(ism)

Keto(genics)

Paleo(lithic Diet)

BONUS: Whole30 & Gluten-Free

The Bottom Line

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People go vegan for many reasons. Some people (myself included) do it for ethical reasons, as meat production and factory farming practices are extremely cruel. Some people do it for environmental reasons as meat farming causes deforestation and pollution. Some people go vegan due to the global impact, as meat consumption is an improper use of resources. And some people go vegan for health reasons, as vegan diets are believed to lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease (just to name a few health benefits).

Whatever the reason may be, veganism has become an increasing popular lifestyle change, and vegan products are becoming more available by the day. Of course, this doesn’t mean that being vegan alone is inherently healthy. There are still plenty of vegan junk foods, and some vegans rely heavily on carbs to become full; like any diet, you can be healthy by eating things in moderation and making good choices.

How involved you get, is up to you. There is no right or wrong reason for going vegan, but the benefits to your body and the environment are undeniable.

Nutritional Goals

Protein can easily be found in many plant based sources, including nuts, grains, and some vegetables; some vegans supplement their diets with protein powders, made from soy, pea, or rice (my favorite vegan protein powder is byVega)

Fats can be found from natural plant foods such as avocados, olives, coconuts, and nuts; natural plant fat is welcomed in a vegan diet, and doesn’t affect your cholesterol and heart health as badly as animal fats do

Carbs make up a big portion of the vegan diet in the form of grains, rice, lentils, and beans; vegetables also naturally have carbs (but most of it comes from fiber), and fruits are full of natural sugar/carbs, meaning vegans tend to take in more carbs than any other diets do

What Foods Are AvoidedAll animals, and foods that come from animals, or is processed using animal parts are avoided, including:

The Keto diet is a high-fat/low-carb diet, which runs on the principle that you need to eat fat to burn fat. On a broad level, it’s based on the fact that the body breaks carbs down into glucose and uses said glucose as a primary energy source over the fat that’s already stored in your body.

So you want to limit the amount of carbs you put into your body so that you can force the body to enter into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a natural process where the body starts dipping into its fat stores for energy; it’s almost like the body says “Hey, where’d all of the glucose go?? Oh well, I guess I’ll just burn the fat in these thighs and belly instead!”

The ultimate goal is to stay in a state of ketosis and to train your body to metabolize fats for energy, while using proteins to build your body and complete necessary functions. This can all be achieved by eliminating carbohydrates and the body’s option to use glucose with it.

Nutritional Goals

Completely eliminate carbohydrates (no more than 5-10% of your daily calorie intake), to block the body from producing glucose which prevents the metabolization of fat and signals the production of insulin (which makes you store more fat)

Provide 60-75% of calories from fat, giving the body the proper energy it needs to metabolize and stay in a fat burning zone

Eat a high amount of protein (between 20-25% of daily calorie intake) so that the body can maintain muscle, but not so much protein where the body will be pushed out of ketosis

TIP: Use this Keto macro calculator to get and idea of what your nutritional goals on keto should be in regards to how much fat, protein, and carbs you should have to stay in ketosis

What Foods Are AvoidedIt doesn’t matter if you’re eating complex carbs or simple sugars, both of these carbs turn into glucose in the body (even fruit sugars). People following a keto diet should avoid the following foods:

It’s an extremely easy diet to follow, and people love the fact that they have the freedom to eat high fat foods like bacon and butter (although there’s so much more to the diet than that)

Due to the lack of carbs/glucose, it reduces insulin levels in the body which is especially helpful for diabetics and keeping down inflamation

Due to the strict carb restriction, keto is a great way to detox from sugar and retrain your tastebuds in the long run

Cons

Some people report feeling ‘The Keto Flu’ which occurs when the body goes through withdrawals from the lack of carbs; this usually occurs the body switches to using fat over glucose for its primary energy source, and can last for a few days to a week

Many people don’t eat the full spectrum of keto approved foods (including low carb veggies and nuts) and consume too many highly saturated animal fats and not enough fiber

People run the risk of exposing themselves to a higher amount of carcinogens from eating too much cooked animal protein

The elimination of whole grains leads to a lower fiber intake, which effects gut health and regularity

Resources:

Useful Links if You’re Going Keto

Ruled Me has a stellar in-depth guide about how ketosis works, how to achieve and test it, and how to eat properly on a keto diet titled “What is a Keto Diet”

Low Carb Alpha also has a great “Introduction to Keto”article which also provides a visual chart of what foods are accepted and not accepted on keto

The Paleo diet is a complete lifestyle change. Diet, exercise, sleep, and even nutrient absorption is modeled after what our early human ancestors did. Basically, if a caveman didn’t eat it/do it, we shouldn’t either.

Think about it, our brains, muscles, and organs, all evolved to perform specific functions for hunting and survival. Before we discovered agriculture, nutrient rich foods (from hunting and gathering), explosive movement (such as running, chasing, leaping, crouching), and the very way we perceive the quality of life (the importance of play, sex, sleep, etc.) all literally shaped us as the humans we are today.

The ancestral human woke up early and hunted or foraged its food, ate a diet of small infrequent meals high in protein and fat, engaged in play, sex, and physical activities, was exposed to sun and all of nature’s elements, and went to bed when it became dark. Compare that to today’s common desk jockey and it’s no wonder we’re fat, sick, and experiencing so many diseases in today’s world of abundance and comfort.

Proteins is essential for muscle growth and repair, and makes up the bulk of the Paleo diet; animal proteins should come from pasture raised, grass-fed, or wild caught animals (so that you’re eating foods that are healthy and natural themselves)

Fats (especially saturated fats from plants and animals) are highly encouraged; like the Keto diet, Paleo encourages you to become fat-adaptive and allow your body to metabolise fats over carbohydrates

Carbs are heavily restricted, especially those from grains, sugar, and other non-primitive food sources (remember, what did the hunter-gatherers eat?)

What Foods Are AvoidedEating ancestrally seems pretty straight forward, but it’s important to consider these foods that DO NOT fall within the Paleo diet:

Processed Meats (such as Bologna, Hot Dogs, Salami, Pepperoni, etc.)

Grains, Cereals, Wheat, Rice (so no Breads, Crackers, Oats, Flour)

Sugar, in most forms, especially Cane Sugar

Dairy in most forms (some people make an exception for Grass Fed Butter or Ghee )

Lentils, Beans, Legumes (includes Peanuts and Soy)

Most Fruits, with the exception of low glycemic fruits (such as berries)

Artificial/Processed Fats such as Margarine or Canola, Cottonseed, Grapeseed, and Safflower oil

What Foods Are AllowedEat foods that are whole and natural, something a caveman would find or hunt (and not process with technologies and tools that didn’t exist 10,000 years ago):

No calorie counting or macro tracking required; if you eat the right things and work out regularly, you will lose weight and gain muscle naturally

By eating unpackaged and unprocessed foods, you can detox your body and increase nutritional efficiency

The focus on eating a variety of nutrient dense foods helps the body get vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that one wouldn’t eat on the Standard American Diet (a.k.a. SAD)

Cons

Eating organic, grass fed, wild caught meats and seafood is more expensive, and the diet can be harder on your pocketbook overall

If not well balanced, you can inadvertently be overeating calories and actually gain weight

The elimination of whole grains leads to a lower fiber intake, which effects gut health and regularity

It’s not a perfect diet – the fact is that humans today are not genetically identical to our primal ancestors, and we’ve adapted to certain environmental factors and foods (.ie. the body’sproduction of the lactase in response to our consumption of dairy)

Resources:

Useful Links if You’re Going Paleo

This definitive guide by Rob Wolf (one of the earliest proponents of the Paleo Diet) has all the details and resources you will need to begin Paleo

The authors describe the diet as a ‘life changing 30 day program’ which focuses on eliminating certain foods that are known to negatively affect your health, energy levels, inflammation, digestion, weight loss, and a long list of other food related ailments.

Whole30 is not about losing weight but more about feeling good and resetting your relationship with food. Because of this, weighing yourself and calorie counting is forbidden; dieters following this eating plan are asked to practice clean eating instead.

Because Whole30 focuses on training your body (and mind) to eat real food, substitutions are also not allowed. This means no Paleo Pancakes or Vegan Cookies. Since sugar is prohibited, other sweeteners or sugar substitutes (i.e. Splenda, Stevia, Maple Syrup, Honey, etc.) are also not allowed.

Preservatives, MSG, carrageenan, and sulfites are also banned, virtually making all packaged foods off limits. The focus is to get people to cook real meals with whole foods, resetting their relationship and attitude towards eating and cooking food.

Many people enjoy this diet because of its attainable 30 day window, and some people report the end of sugar cravings, mental clarity, better sleep, and increased energy by cutting out grains, alcohol, sugar, and processed food. If you’d like to learn more about Whole30, visit their website here.

***It is important to note that the Gluten Free diet is taken very seriously for those suffering from celiac disease. There are conflicting studies on weather healthy non-celiac people should avoid gluten, but if you are doing so for non life-threatening reasons, please be considerate when ordering out at restaurants or in public. Many restaurants take gluten intolerance very seriously and go through extra precaution to ensure their food handling is not compromised for those medically diagnosed with gluten intolerance.***

You may have noticed that grocery stores and restaurants are carrying more and more gluten-free options these days. This can be attributed to the rise in celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivities (aka ‘wheat intolerance’), and wheat allergies.

But what exactly is gluten? Gluten is a combination of two proteins (gliadin + glutenin) that are found in some grains like wheat and barley. Gluten can be activated when wheat is broken down or kneaded (like when making bread) and gives food its chewy, stretchy, and bread like texture.

Those who’ve been medically diagnosed with celiac disease suffer a condition in which gluten triggers an autoimmune response where the body attacks the incoming gluten, in turn damaging the lining of the small intestine in the process. This reaction causes a range of issues, including the inability to absorb nutrients from other non-gluten foods and other allergic reactions.

Gluten intolerance is an issue that some Americans have no control over. However, many diet experts claim that if an average (non-celiac) person eats a gluten free diet, they too can benefit from better nutrient absorption, more energy, mental clarity, and better skin.

There is no true scientific backing that can validate this claim, at the moment.

Another thing to be careful about is the fact that gluten free foods that are trying to emulate regular wheat based foods (ie. gluten free waffles or muffins) have more fat and sugar to compensate for the lack of gluten. This is something to consider, given your particular diet goals.

In any case, plenty of people do experience weight loss and feel better by cutting out gluten, and eliminating gluten for sometime may help you get an idea if you have a wheat intolerance. If you’re looking for more information about celiac disease on the effect gluten has on our body, take a look at Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic on Amazon.

THE BOTTOM LINE…

Now that you know the difference between some of today’s popular diets, it’s up to you to decide which one fits in best with your lifestyle, beliefs, and nutritional needs.

Just know that when it comes to YOUR diet, it’s a choice best made between you and your doctor. Feel free to adapt any of the above diets to better suit you, or take a more synchronistic approach and pick and choose the parts that make the most sense to you. It is possible to be Vegan-Keto or Vegan-Paleo or Vegan-Whole30 even. It all comes down to finding what works for you, and living in the common areas between the diets you choose (vegetables for all!).

Comment below if you practice the above diets (or a hybrid of the above) and let us know how its changed your life!

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Hi, I'm Sanjay and I recently started this blog to combine my passions for vegan food + all things internet. I'm excited to share some of my favorite vegan (and sometimes healthy) recipes with you, all while improving my food photography and blogging skills along the way! Check out my recipes, and let me know what you think.

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